It is not the job of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner to promote homosexuality as normal, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.

Responding to comments by Dr Helen Szoke around the launch of the “Fair go, sport!” program, ACL’s Victorian Director Rob Ward said the commission’s role was to focus on issues of practical discrimination, not normalising the lifestyle of two percent of the Australian population.

"The suggestion that the aim is to have the sexual orientation of “gay, lesbian and transgender sportspeople....so public that it’s normal, so people don’t think about it” is very troubling," he said.

"Is Dr Szoke now trying to control what people think and believe? Is this the thought police at work?" he said.

“We have supported the removal of practical discrimination in State and Commonwealth law which has granted legal equality to same-sex couples.

“Taxpayers money is rightly spent addressing issues of justice but not promoting a particular lifestyle as normal. Dr Szoke's statement encouraging sports people to “come out” would appear to be her personal opinion.

“Australians hold a diversity of opinions and views on homosexuality and it is not the job of the Commission to tell people they have to think any particular lifestyle is normal,” Mr Ward said.